


A Gift from Mother

by Alexandrite_Rose



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Pre-Time Skip, a little what if, byleth claude and sitri are the main focuse, cinder shadows spoilers, i love sitri, implied claude/byleth, most characters are just there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-20
Updated: 2020-02-20
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:48:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22818793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alexandrite_Rose/pseuds/Alexandrite_Rose
Summary: Byleth gets to meet her mother.
Kudos: 66





	A Gift from Mother

**Author's Note:**

> WARNING!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> There are spoilers for Cinder Shadows!!!!! Go play or watch the DLC for more context.
> 
> Putting the time frame for before Jeralt's death, but Byleth has been their for a while.

Byleth thought that investigating the strange underground of the monastery and figuring out who was snooping around earlier would be quick and easy. That the Lords and her would go in, find a bunch of rats going about their existence, catch the mystery person, and be out by dinner. What she hadn’t planned for was the civilization of people living there. The Ashen Wolves, the protectors of Abyss, were interesting people. And it was a wonder as to how no one had mentioned this secret fourth house even once. Byleth thought that after they assist them and sort things out with Rhea that would be it. Yet, sadly for her that wasn’t the case. Life loved to mess with her and throw one curveball after another in her direction. And then they discovered that Aelfric found her mother’s body down in the Abyss. Since coming to Garreg Mach she’s becoming more in tune with experiencing normal emotions. She doesn’t get the chance to see her mother until the end when they take down the Umbral Beast. Byleth is rightfully upset with how things had happened and demanded that her mother be taken to the surface so she can be properly buried. Jeralt will have to be told the truth about what happened with his wife and that was going to be a headache she wasn’t looking forward to dealing with. Byleth already knew that her father had a distaste for Rhea, and this isn’t going to make it any better.

Rhea thankfully allows her request to be fulfilled without any trouble, “If you can wait here with her, I’ll send some knights to come get her.” Rhea departs on that.

The students gather themselves and assist in mending each other’s wounds. They talk among themselves about what they have just been through and what they will do once this is all neatly tied up. Claude goes over to her, “How are you feeling Teach?” Byleth doesn’t look at him and shrugs as she continues to look to her mother laying still across from her. She feels something, but she knows it’s not some random emotion. At least she thinks it isn’t. “If you want to go see her then do it.”

“Huh?” That breaks Byleth out of her daze and she finally meets his eyes.

“I mean this will be the only time you’ll get to see her. My parents told me that even though people die their spirit is always watching over us no matter how long it has been. Make your peace with her. Let her know that the child she loved and cared for so much made it and became a wonderful person,” the pink dusting Claude’s cheeks don’t go unnoticed by her.

Byleth places a hand on his shoulder. He looks to her and is graced by a small smile, “Thank you.”

Claude’s eyes widen and the blush on his face deepens in color, “Uh sure! No problem Teach! A-anytime!” He stumbles on his words, “I um… I’m going to go make sure Hilda is doing alright.” And he rushes off back to the group.

Byleth takes in a deep breath and makes her way to her mother. It felt like she was being lured to the resting woman by some invisible string. Now that she’s seeing her face to face any doubt she may have had vanished. Jeralt always said that she was practically a spitting image of her mother. Sitri’s hair and face were like hers. Byleth knelt near and looked over the mother she never got to meet. She places a hand atop Sitri’s folded ones which to no surprise are cold. Her chest doesn’t rise, nor do her eyes opened. Byleth would be lying if a small part of her wished that maybe something else would have happened. That maybe her mother would have woken up, but she didn’t. ‘It’s for the best,’ Byleth thinks to herself. She closes her eyes and does a silent prayer for her mother apologizing for everything that had transpired and hopes that she is resting well.

“Professor,” Dimitri, Edelgard, and Claude have come near her. They stay a few feet from the stairs and have sorrowful looks on their faces. “The knights are almost here,” the blond prince informs her.

She nods at the three leaders and stands. “Thank you,” the three nod and begin to turn away. Byleth looks to her mother and mouths ‘Goodbye’ before turning to leave. Then she feels something. That strange feeling pulled her too Sitri and she looks back at her. She hasn’t changed, but she’s suddenly feeling dizzy. The last thing she hears is someone yelling to her before the world goes black.

………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Byleth wakes to the sun hitting her face. It alarms her immediately as she shoots up from the ground. She’s in one of the gardens of the Monastery, but something seems off. The first thing Byleth notices is that she’s wearing a long black dress with coral color lining the cuffs of her sleeves and the trim of her dress. The golden tasseled medallion that she normally wore still hung from her chest. Byleth looked around the area for any signs of life. It only took a moment to notice a woman with long blue-green hair and a white dress tending to the flowers across the small yard. Byleth walked over to the mysterious lady who was a few inches shorter than her and stood a few feet away.

“Excuse me?” Byleth called to the woman. The woman in white stiffened for a moment before she turned herself. Forest green eyes meet Byleth’s purple-blue ones, “Mother?” She breaths out. The small surprise that was present on Sitri’s face faded as she fully faced her daughter and graced her with a small smile. The two stared at each other in silence for a few moments. “How is this possible? I’m not dead, am I?” Something in her stomach twisted. Her wounds weren’t that bad, and what of her students?How would her father react?

Sitri shook her head and stepped closer to her daughter. Byleth stiffened when Sitri brought her hands to cup her face. Sitri studied her, moving a strand of hair that fell out of place, and rubbing her thumb over her right cheek. She was real or at least felt real. Sitri smiled big as she moved her hands behind Byleth’s head and pulled her in for a hug. Byleth was still for a few moments before returning the embrace with a surprising tightness but making sure to not crush the smaller woman. It was nice; comforting even. After a moment Byleth sighed as she rested her face in her mothers’ shoulder. Sitri let out a small laugh as she held her tighter. They stood like that for a long time in the sweet comfortable silence of the garden.

Sitri was the one to pull back. Byleth frowned at the loss of contact. Her mother backed away for a moment as she reached for something in the flowers. Sitri placed the small pink bloom in her daughters’ hands and closed them around it. Byleth looked at her with confusion which soon faded as Sitri cupped her face once again and gave Byleth a bright toothy smile. She brought their foreheads together, “My precious baby,” Sitri spoke in a soft voice. She pulled back just a bit and kissed Byleth’s forehead as the world went white around them.

………………………………………………………………………………………………….

There was mumbling around her. She couldn’t make out who the voices belonged to, but they sounded panic. The more she focused on them the louder they became. ‘Why are they being so loud?!’ she thought in annoyance. She can feel herself groan and the voices stop. A moment later she can hear one of them.

“Teach? Can you hear me?” The male’s voice is edge with a hint of worry. She groans again; her head hurts and she’s tired. “Come on Teach, wake up!” His voice is much clearer now. She knows who this person is. Byleth feels coolness under her legs, but her upper half is floating. There is warmth next to her and something supporting her back. 

‘Someone’s holding me?’ Byleth thinks. She can make out other voices. Each of them with a mix of worry coating their tones. Byleth forces her body to move. It works but she doesn’t get far. Something or someone is holding her in place. It takes more effort than it should have for Byleth to will her eyes open. It takes another moment for her vision to focus, but when it does, she is met with worried green eyes staring down at her. Claude sighs in relief and smiles down at her. Yuri is behind him with a hand on his cheek as he sends her a wink. The rest of the Wolves a few feet behind him. Linhardt is crouched on her left as he slowly lowers his hands to his lap. Hilda was right behind him rubbing her eyes as they both let out similar sighs of relief. Byleth lifted her head a bit and was able to spot Dimitri and Edelgard, with their hands over their hearts, loosen their posters and give her small smiles. Ashe was by her ankles wiping tears away from his face.

“Gave us quite the scare there my friend,” Yuri spoke first.

Byleth sighed as she looked around at her students. Her head was pounding, and her body felt heavy. She was about to raise a hand to her head when she felt something. Byleth’s right hand was lightly clenching something. When she opened it a small bloom of pink Valerian flowers rested within it. “So, it was real?” she whispered quietly to herself.

“Huh?” Claude looked at her with curiosity and then to the bloom in her hand. He looked back to her with a raised eyebrow. She cleared her throat as she fought through the pain and willed herself to speak. “It’s nothing,” her voice was still low. She gently closed her hand back around the small pink flowers, “What happened?”

“You just collapsed! And we couldn’t find your pulse for like three minutes!” Hilda shouted. The echo of Abyss amplified the sound as it rung painfully in her head. It made Byleth flinched and she attempted to curl into herself. Claude’s grip on her tightens slightly. By the Goddess was her head exploding.

“Teach?” Claude called to her in a softer worried voice, “What’s going on?”

“Head,” was all she could get out as Byleth closed her eyes once again. Even the dim lighting down in Abyss was proving to be too much for her. 

Her students were saying something that Byleth decided not to focus on. Footsteps are heard and fading around her. The arms holding her began to change their positions to under her knees and her back. It’s wobbly at first, but she’s eventually lifted from the ground. “It’s okay Teach, I got you,” Claude softly tells her. Byleth gives him a hum as she rested her head on his shoulder and drifted off to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank Tumblr for inspiration. Come find me at @gemstonerose


End file.
